Seed Artist Profile: Lettuce by Christi Kennedy

by Angie LavezzoSeptember 07, 2015

In 2015 Sow True Seed decided to design beautiful artwork for 160 of our seed varieties. We reached out to the gardening community for help with the artwork and were humbled by the awesome response. Seed is beautiful! Over the next year we will be highlighting all of these wonderful artists. Please check out their work and support them if you can! Follow them on Social Media, comment below with messages of adoration and big kudos for supporting small business supporting sustainable and responsible agriculture!

Christi Kennedy of Bradenton, Florida was selected to design the artwork for some of our lettuce seed packets.

What is your favorite vegetable to eat and why?

Hands down, my favorite veggie is the potato. I’ll eat them fried, scalloped, mashed, or baked. Basically, if someone puts a plate of potatoes down in front of me, expect them to get eaten. They certainly aren’t the healthiest of veggies, but they are definitely yummy!

What is your favorite vegetable to grow and why?

My favorite veggie to grow is probably corn. I love how a group of matured corn looks in the fall, especially corn of various colors.Why did you choose the medium you used for the packet design?

My seed packet illustrations (all being various types of lettuce) were illustrated as Regency Era clothing. That particular time in history gave birth to beautiful and romantic works of art and fashions, without being over the top like the earlier Georgian Era trends. In order to get a similar feel to authentic Regency Era art, I decided to use mixed media for my own illustrations. First, I needed a medium that would allow me fine details within a small space. Regency art had realistic details, and as the seed packets were to be a few inches in size, I needed detail that also didn’t bleed together. So, I decided upon fine point artist pens. The illustrations were drawn as line art first, and a small amount of cross-hatching was added for dimension and detail. Once all the outlines were completed, I then needed a medium that would give me soft, yet bright, cheerful Regency-style color. So, I selected soft pastel pencils. The fine point of the pastel pencil allowed for precise coloring, while giving me the flexibility to blend hues together smoothly. A unique combination of bight and soft colors, shading and highlighting were blended together in a way that truly resembles works from the Regency period in our history.

What is your favorite medium to work with and why?

My favorite medium isn’t one specific item, but rather any medium with a “pencil” shape. Artist pens, pastel pencils, colored pencils, and even my computer tablet give me the control to add detail and smooth/even lines. My preferred style of illustration tends to have a degree of Pointillism, cross-hatching, hatching, scribbles or a combination of all four. A “pencil-shaped” medium gives me the ability to add precise detail and texture, while allowing for better control of hand movements. Why were you excited about this project?

Although I have been immersed in the art world ever since I could walk, this is the first time any of my artwork will be put into production. I find it absolutely thrilling to know something I created will be manufactured and sold in stores!

What is your favorite flower and why?

Morning glories are my favorite flower to grow. They sprout easily and grow quickly, which are two definite pluses. However, more than anything, I love how they are always the first cheery “face” to greet you in the early morning. A matured morning glory plant looks absolutely beautiful wrapped around fencing or an archway.